Chapter 1

    The air was hot and oppressive in the borderlands as two companions made their way on horseback towards the village of Trident’s Edge.  Nathaniel wiped the sweat from his eyes with his sleeve and tried not to fidget in his saddle.  He was tired and dirty and his body ached from riding in the saddle so long.  Fighting the urge to fidget, his thoughts drifted to thoughts of a real meal and a bed to sleep in tonight.  No more strips of dried, unidentifiable meats.  No more rationed warm water.  No more stone pillows. 
    “Perhaps a featherbed tonight?”
    Nate grabbed hold of the saddle horn to keep from falling as the question brought him out of his thoughts.  Tancred hadn’t spoken in what felt like hours.  And he picked now to seemingly read my mind? He suppressed a groan and reached down as if to check his horse’s straps so that he could glance up at his mentor.
    It’s as if the heat doesn’t bother him!  The elder man sat quietly on his horse along side Nate, the remnants of what could have been a smile on his face.  Nate took a deep breath to keep from swearing and sat up straighter in his saddle.  “Tancred, what’s so special about this town anyway?” he asked, pushing aside his sword hilt that kept poking at him.  “It’s out in the middle of nowhere.”
    The elder man turned to study his young companion as if deciding to answer or not.  “We have to check in on someone and pay our respects.” 
    Nate nodded and knew not to ask any more questions.  Tancred was a man who only said as much as he wanted to say.  No more, no less. 
    They rode in silence for the final stretch of road into Trident’s Edge.  Nate followed behind Tancred as he took the lead towards the inn.  A young boy came running out from the adjacent stable to take care of the horses.  Tancred handed the boy a coin and then motioned to Nate to follow him into the inn.  A lone wolf howled in the distance.
                                       
* * * *

    The Horsehead Inn was like any other along the southern border.  It was clean, but old.  The scent of spiced wine and bitter ale hung heavy in the air mixing with the too-sweet smell of pipe tobacco.  The main room was filled with tables and lined with booths along the walls.  The large hearth at the north end of the hall warmed the room and patrons alike.     
    The inn used to be filled with a variety of locals and foreigners passing through, not that there were many travelers these days this close to the border.  There were few patrons tonight.  The tales coming up from the south scared off the rest of the regulars.  Strange sightings, unexplained sounds.  No one wanted to stray too far from home. 
    Maya paid no attention to the latest rumors.  She had heard them all before.  Kneeling down, she stoked the fire in the hearth and tossed in another log.  It was going to be another cold night and some of the local boys were too drunk to get on a horse.
    “Girl, get up off the floor and clear these tables!  What do you think I keep you around here for?”  She felt her cheeks flush as she quickly stood up and grabbed some empty mugs from the nearest table.  She tried to ignore the drunken laughter, but it was too late.  Now that Uncle Asrim drew attention to her, the patrons wouldn’t soon forget about her again. 
    “Hey, Blondie!  Come clean this up!” sneered one holding an empty tankard in his lap. 
    “No! No! She needs to clean this up first!” said another as he tipped over his ale. 
    The few men that were there erupted in howls of laughter.  Maya moved quickly from table to table, staying out of the men’s reach.  Uncle Asrim watched her with contempt as he poured out more ale and hot-spiced wine. 
      The door swung open with a crash as two men entered with the wind at their backs.  The eerie cry of a wolf carried in on the wind and it took them both to get the door closed again.  The commotion caught the attention of the other patrons, and the older of the two ushered the other to a table in the corner. 
      “A little late to be out walking, don’t you think so, boys?” Uncle Asrim eyed them suspiciously.  “Girl, get them a drink!”
    Maya grabbed her tray, heavy with empty glasses, and hurried over to their table.  She barely managed to keep the glasses from falling.  Furious with herself for being scolded and for nearly dropping everything, she slid the tray onto their table, glasses clinking.  “Alright, so what are you wanting.” 
    The older gentleman smiled up at her.  His hair and beard were as grey as his cloak, but it was his voice that surprised her.  “We’ll take two spiced wines, if you please, and water his down a little, if you don’t mind.”
    Kindness in these parts wasn’t too common and she made herself look away to keep from staring.  The man’s companion was much younger, perhaps closer to her sixteen years.  His blue eyes watched her intently from his own grey cloak. Uncle Asrim, however, had also been watching.  “What do you think you’re staring at?” he yelled from behind the bar.
    She was suddenly very conscious of the color rising in her cheeks. “I.. I’m sorry..” she began, “ for the tray, I mean...  I’ll go get those drinks.”

* * * *
    Tancred watched as Nate’s eyes followed the girl across the room, “Interesting place, isn’t it?”
    Nate pulled his attention back to his mentor.  “It doesn’t seem to be too bad.  We’ve stayed in worse.”    Tancred nodded slightly in agreement.  “So…who are we supposed to check up on?”  He decided to try for more information now that they were sitting across from each other. 
    The old man smiled at his student’s curiosity.  “The person is here, staying at this very inn.  Perhaps now is a good time to practice your powers of observation.”
    Sighing, Nate turned his gaze towards the inn’s common room.  He saw a few of the customers huddled together speaking in lowered voices.  The other customers in the room looked like they had passed out some time ago.  He saw the server trying to load her tray with drinks. “It looks like a common room,” he grumbled.
    “I am glad you cleared that up for me, Nathaniel.  Maybe now you can tell me what you see in the common room.” 
      Looking around once again, the group of men with their heads together drew his attention first.  He noticed how the sounded of their whispers got louder when they seemed more urgent.  He now noticed that when they got louder, someone always looked over in his direction before quickly ducking his head in with the rest.  He noticed the drunkards that looked like they were passed out.  Nate started as it looked like one of them was staring at him before quickly shutting his eyes again. That can’t be right! 
    He watched the man a few more minutes, but he didn’t open his eyes again.  Back to the server.  Nate watched her for a moment as she picked the tray up to bring their drinks.  Her long, reddish hair pushed back from her face, she looked very pretty as she neared the table. 
    “She doesn’t fit here,” he whispered excitedly.  “Everyone here has brown or black hair, dark eyes..  She has reddish hair, blue eyes...  She’s not from here!”  Tancred looked pleased as the girl set the tray down on their table and passed them their spiced wine.
    “I brought you some warm bread and honey, too.”  She blushed again when Nate looked up at her.  “I thought you might be hungry…”  She scurried away quickly as the owner strode over to their table.
    “You staying the night, I presume?”  He directed his question to Tancred, acting as if Nate wasn’t there. 
    “Yes, if you have room.  The road out there can wear men down quickly.”  Tancred smiled, but his eyes were looking directly into the other man’s eyes.  Not letting him break eye contact, Tancred sipped his wine slowly.  “Will I have my old room, Asrim?”
    The barman looked surprised, but there were no signed of recognition on his face.  “What room would that be?  I don’t tend to remember all my guests….”
    “Pity,” sighed Tancred.  “Room 7 at the top of the stairs will suit us just as well.”
    Nate controlled the surprised look in his own eyes and sat attentively as if he’d known what this conversation was about the whole time.  The barman simply nodded and gestured to the stairs.
    “You know that guy?” Nate whispered as they got up from the table.  How did I miss that, he wondered.
    “Oh, yes… Asrim and I go way back.  Pity he doesn’t remember.  It’ll make our stay rather interesting, I think.”